With the Biden Administration and the CDC warning about a fourth wave of COVID 19 infections the weekly positive test rate in East Boston spiked 16 percent last Friday.
According to the latest data released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), last week,1,755 Eastie residents were tested for the virus last week and 5 percent were positive–a 16 percent increase from the 4.3 percent reported by the BPHC two weeks ago.
Of the 37,087 Eastie residents tested for COVID since the pandemic began, 18.9 percent overall were found to be positive for the virus. This was the same percentage reported by the BPHC two weeks ago.
Positive test rates were also on the rise citywide. According to the BPHC, 25,845 residents were tested and 4.2 percent were COVID positive–this was a 16.6 percent increase from the 3.6 percent positive test rate reported by the BPHC two weeks ago.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey, the Boston Public Health Commission and the Office of Health and Human Services announced the Vaccine Equity Grant Initiative last week that will target communities hit hard by the pandemic like Eastie.
Janey said the program provides funding to non-profit organizations working to increase vaccine access and awareness for communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant applications will open Wednesday, March 31, 2021 and the deadline to apply is April 9, 2021. With a total of $1.5 million in available funding, grant awards will range from $100,000 to $250,000 to be used by organizations over four months.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve known that certain neighborhoods and communities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” said Janey. “Creating this grant initiative will fund organizations closest to the individuals most affected, helping the City respond on a local, community-based level. I look forward to working with the grantees to further our efforts in vaccinating our more vulnerable communities.”
Applicants will develop strategies to target equitable vaccine access in specific ethnic communities, Boston neighborhoods, and other groups experiencing higher rates of COVID-19 positivity. Applications should also target outreach for communities facing barriers in obtaining the vaccine. These include Black/African American, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, and immigrant communities; persons with disabilities; individuals over the age of 65; and the neighborhoods of East Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Roslindale and Chinatown, where positivity rates have consistently been higher and vaccination rates have been lower than the citywide average.
“In Boston, we are committed to continuing to prioritize local access and equitable planning when developing strategies to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to all of our residents,” said Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez. “The grant program will build on our community partnerships and help ensure every Bostonian who is eligible has the necessary support needed to get vaccinated.”
Eastie’s COVID infection rate increased by only 1.4 percent last week and went from 1,477.4 cases per 10,000 residents to 1,498.6 cases per 10,000 residents.
An additional 95 Eastie residents contracted the virus and there are now 7,028 confirmed cases, up from the 6,933 reported two weeks ago.
The statistics released by the BPHC as part of its weekly COVID19 report breaks down the number of cases and infection rates in each neighborhood. It also breaks down the number of cases by age, gender and race. Citywide positive cases of coronavirus increased 2.5 percent last week and went from 62,170 cases to 63,748 confirmed cases in a week. Fourteen additional Boston residents died from the virus last week and there are now 1,341 total deaths in the city from COVID.